


Lights, Camera, Love

by Casey_Wolfe



Category: Battle Creek (TV)
Genre: Actor!Milt, Alternate Universe - Actors, Community: battlecreekmeme, Community: smallfandomfest, Friendship, M/M, Romance, Science Fiction (minor), Translation Available, Tumblr: otpprompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-07
Updated: 2015-06-07
Packaged: 2018-04-03 09:41:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4096174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Casey_Wolfe/pseuds/Casey_Wolfe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Russ got dragged along by his best friends to some damn geek convention he never expected to meet a guy like Milt, let alone that it could change his life so drastically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lights, Camera, Love

**Author's Note:**

> The original prompt came from otpprompts on Tumblr.  Annnd, I know I prompted this over at the Kink Meme and Small Fandom Fest, but then I ended up coming up with an idea for it.  Go figure.  So filling my own prompt… again.
> 
> Translation available in [Chinese](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4498581).

Standing in that line caused Russ to question his sanity.  Of course the fact he agreed to come to Detroit at all for this convention was probably the first sign he was slipping.  When both Font and Holly had begged him to come along- the latter using those damn puppy eyes of hers- he couldn’t really say no.  They were his best friends and so he sucked it up and came with them to the Motor City ComicCon.

He felt like a total idiot, completely out of place with his faded jeans and plain BCPD tee when most everyone else was in costume.  Thankfully neither of his friends had chosen to cosplay- otherwise he would have stabbed his eye out with a fork- and instead dressed in simply nerdy attire.  It wasn’t that Russ didn’t get into some of this stuff but he just wasn’t what he would consider a “fanboy.”

Despite that, there he was holding Font’s place in line, DVD in hand that his friend wanted signed.  Russ had no clue who this actor was.  Hell, he didn’t even know what the movie was about.  But Font had been so excited when he heard the guy was at the convention that he’d gone out and bought a second copy of the DVD just so he could get it signed.  Hence why Russ couldn’t complain _too much_ when Font had to take off for the nearest bathroom.

 _Seriously what the hell is the point of any of this?_ he grumbled to himself.   _Star Wars, Star Trek, Stargate… too many star shit things._ At least the DVD in hand, while it certainly appeared to be a sci-fi, didn’t follow the same pattern.  On the cover was a spaceship with the busts of two guys and a woman in front of it, _Pulsar_ scrawled across the top in a bold font.  One of those men was apparently this Milt Chamberlain dude.

He noticed he was getting towards the front of the line and looked around for Font but didn’t see him in the crowd.  As he turned back the person in front of him was stepping aside, revealing the actor himself.  Russ froze, feeling like a deer in the headlights as browns eyes fell on him and he was given a stunning smile.  Milt was _gorgeous._

“Hey,” Milt greeted as he somehow managed to step up to the table.  “Oh cool,” he added when Russ passed over the DVD, “I really loved doing this one.  Who should I make it out to?”

He was hit by that smile again and all Russ could think of was how attractive he was.  Sure, most actors were, it came with the territory, but Milt was something special.  He was dressed smartly and his dark hair was stylishly messy.  It took Russ a moment to realize he was staring and cleared his throat.  “Umm, Font…”

“Unique name,” Milt replied, starting to sign the cover with his black sharpie.

As though on cue, Font slammed into his side, laughing as he roughly patted Russ’ back.  “Thanks so much man.  Looks like I just made it.”

Russ pointed over at Font as he explained, “It’s _his_ name…  It’s actually Fontanelle, but his wife and mother are the only ones that call him that.”

“Lemme guess,” Milt replied, blinding smile never fading as he passed the DVD over to Font, “and only when you’re in deep trouble.”

It was Russ who commented, “That’s for damn sure.”

“Oh wow, thanks,” Font said, noting that Milt had personalized it.  “I really appreciate it.  This is like my favorite thing you’ve done.”

“Well thanks for saying that,” Milt replied graciously.  “It happens to be one of mine as well.  Are you two coming to the panel tomorrow?”

Font was enthusiastic as he answered, “Oh yeah.  Wouldn’t miss it.”

“Looking forward to seeing you there then.”  Russ felt his heart stop, thinking he was seeing things when it was _him_ Milt had directed that at with his too bright smile.

With another thanks from Font and an awkward goodbye from Russ, the pair took their leave as to not hold up the already long line further.  It took Russ a couple minutes to recover, interrupting Font’s chattering about how cool the guy was as he inquired, “What’d he mean about a panel?”

“Milt?  He’s doing a Q&A panel tomorrow.”

“Uh huh.”  Russ tugged the DVD from his best friend’s hand, flipping it over to look at the back.  “What the hell’s this thing about anyway?”

“It’s a sci-fi,” Font explained, “that’s action-oriented and character-driven…  Not a big Triple-A box office title but it’s got a pretty big cult following.  They actually just announced they’re doing a follow-up TV series.  They’re supposed to start filming soon too I think.”

“Milt gonna be in it?” he inquired, attempting to make it sound casual.

“Yeah, him and the rest of the original main cast as far as I know.”

Russ didn’t comment as they had Holly in their sights.  She had been waiting in a line of her own to meet geek legend Karl Urban.  “At least I’ve seenthis guy,” Russ gruffed as they stood around talking.  Both his friends looked at him skeptically.  “The man played fucking _Bones_ in Star Trek, okay?”

Font let out a huffing laugh.  “Russ liking the cantankerous character, big shock.”

Holly didn’t even bother to hide her laugh.  Russ scowled at her like it was a personal betrayal.

* * *

That night back at the hotel, Russ pulled out his laptop and swiped Font’s _Pulsar_ DVD.  As the other two argued over what to watch on TV while they awaited room service, Russ settled on the Queen bed he and Font were sharing, back against the headboard and computer resting on his lap.  He plugged in the headphones and started up the movie, not really knowing what to expect.

He sure as hell wasn’t planning on enjoying it so much.  It was hard not to though.  All of the characters were engaging and the plot was solid.  Mostly though it was Milt he fell in love with.  He was an amazing actor, his character was easily his favorite, and the guy was sexy as hell.

The man he played, Josh, was the Captain of his own ship.  They ran cargo into parts of the universe that normal crews wouldn’t go.  They faced danger at every turn on a regular basis but when they ended up with freight that made them a target of a mercenary group known as the Company, things really started to get squirrely.  Josh was a cool customer under pressure however and showed skills worthy of an infamous star captain- in Russ’ opinion.

There was something inherently sexy about a badass with a gun.  As an added bonus, Josh had that mysterious quality to him and an obviously troubled past.  It made him much more than just a pretty face, giving him a depth that intrigued Russ to no end.

He was vaguely aware of Holly bitching at Font about being a bathroom hog as he pulled up IMDB to look at Milt’s bio.  The man was still pretty new to the acting world.  While some of his credits were clearly B movie in nature he had more recently broken into some prominent movies.  It seemed that _Pulsar_ was his first starring role and it propelled his career forward into other major parts.  It had essentially put him on the map.

Russ only stopped to eat his dinner, tuning out his friends as he returned to his browsing.  He started off reading some interviews and watching things on Youtube.  By the time the others were settling in for bed, Russ had switched to streaming some of Milt’s other movies on Netflix.  It wasn’t until he finished off the second one and looked at the time that he realized that this Milt guy may have become something of an obsession already.

* * *

They both gave him strange looks when he reminded them they had a Q&A to get to but Font and Holly went along with him anyway.  Clearly his sudden eagerness was strange though they were kind enough not to say a word.  If anything they were just glad to see _him_ so enthusiastic over something for once.

They ended up finding some empty seats about halfway in the hall.  It wasn’t a big room and quickly filled up, which made Russ infinitely grateful his friends stressed the importance of getting there early.

They were seated between some _Star Wars_ cosplayers and a group of _Doctor Who_ fans.  Russ only chuckled and shook his head, once again glad his dorkish friends hadn’t gone the costume route.  Instead Font had on a shirt from the _Big Bang Theory_ and Holly sported her favorite Hawkeye tee.  Russ, well, he was wearing the shirt Holly had bought for him the previous day which declared “Damnit Jim!” on the front.

Milt arrived to cheers and it was all Russ could do to hold back a whoop of his own and instead settle for simply clapping.  He put on his best air of only mildly interested but Holly saw right through it.  When people started lining up at a mic provided to ask questions, she elbowed him and jerked her head.  “Weren’t you gonna ask something?”

He raised a brow at her, never having said a thing.  When all she did was stare back with that knowing, impish gaze of hers, Russ huffed and looked away.  “I hate you.”

She laughed.  “No you don’t.  You just hate that we can read you so well.”

“Why else would you wanna come to a panel so bad?” Font threw in, smirking to himself.

“Fine,” Russ grunted, standing and making his way past the _Star Wars_ group.  He dutifully ignored the sniping about his shirt until he hit the aisle.  Not helping himself, he threw over his shoulder, “Greedo shot first,” only to laugh at the uproar it caused.  It served them right for trying to trash talk _Star Trek_ like that.

He didn’t have to stand in the queue long. When he got up to the mic stand he froze because those chocolate eyes were meeting his and that blinding smile was directed at _him_ rather than the room and Russ’ brain short-circuited.  “Hey,” Milt greeted brightly, “long time no see.”  Of course that only made Russ stutter in his returned greeting cause _holy fuck he actually remembers me?!_

Thankfully Russ didn’t stand there like a moron, shaking himself out of it and remembering what it was he had been wondering about.  “So your character from _Pulsar_ … when the Company came into things Josh obviously knew a lot about them but it seemed like it was a lot more personal than he was letting on.”  He shifted a bit as he added, “And then later on you see what looks like a Company tattoo on his hip.”  Milt’s eyes widened in surprise and Russ quickly asked, “So is that a storyline we’re gonna get to hear more about in the future?”

It took Milt a minute before he smiled.  “Wow, I, uh, I don’t think anyone’s ever noticed that before.”

Russ wasn’t about to admit the reason _why_ he had noticed the tattoo.  Milt had been stretching for something, his shirt riding up.  As Russ had been shamelessly admiring the expansive of skin on display, he noted the black ink and had to rewind and pause it to get a better look.  It wasn’t clear but it sure as hell had looked like the same symbol that had been displayed on the holographic screens earlier in the film.  Russ had been rather disappointed that the plot had never touched on it.

Milt nodded then as he confirmed, “Yeah, Josh has much more of a history with the Company than he let on.  It’s definitely something we’re going to be exploring in the upcoming series.  I’ve been talking a lot with the writers and we’ve fleshed out something I’m really excited about.”

“Yeah?”  Russ smiled.  “That sounds awesome.”  Remembering where he was he quickly schooled his features and muttered an awkward thanks before scampering back to his seat.  At least he got a snicker at the disgruntled _Star Wars_ fans as he smugly squeezed by them, loosening the knots that had jumbled up in his stomach.

There was no reason to feel that way.  Even so, he couldn’t help but smile as the panel continued, laughing at Milt’s dumb jokes and interesting stories.  Russ simply told himself that he was imagining Milt catching his gaze a few times across the space between them.

* * *

Once it was over and people started to file out, Font suggested they hang back and wait for the bulk of people to get out rather than shuffling around in the crowd.  There weren’t any panels or personal appearances they wanted to get to immediately anyway so it seemed like a good idea.  The trio hung around at the aisle, Holly chatting away about the _Avengers_ panel later, but Russ was guilty looking towards the stage where Milt was talking to a convention staff member.

When said staff member started walking their way and Milt looked up, Russ quickly averted his gaze, pretending not to notice.  “Excuse me,” the woman said, “Mr. Chamberlain would like to talk to you.”

“Me?”  Russ didn’t even know how to react to that.

Apparently Holly did as she shoved him excitedly towards the stage.  “Go, go!”

“Get us some swag,” Font added, Russ rolling his eyes for effect.

“Uh, hey,” he greeted, standing at the base of the stage.  It was really just a small makeshift platform and Milt waved him up.  “You wanted to see me?”  Russ didn’t even bother hiding his confusion.

“I just had to tell you again, that was impressive with the tattoo.  I really don’t think many people have caught it, let alone noticed what it was.  You have a good eye.”

Russ tried to shrug it off but he was aware of the little smirk at the corner of his mouth.  “I’m a Detective.  It’s what I do.”

“Really?  That’s awesome.  What department?”

“Battle Creek.”

Milt frowned then.  “I’m not familiar…”

“Outside Detroit.”

The actor nodded.  “Right.”  His smile was genuine though as he added, “That’s really cool though.  I’ve met plenty of cops between traveling and with filming and stuff, but I’ve never gotten to talk with a Detective.  You should let me pick your brain sometime…  Maybe over lunch?”

“I…  Wha-?  Really?”

Milt chuckled.  “Too forward?”

“No… no, just took me off guard there.  I, uh, don’t exactly have a lot of friends, so…  I think it’s ‘cause I’m a total asshole.”  Milt laughed at that- actually laughed, full and loud.  That made a soft smile spread onto Russ’ face.

“I don’t think I got your name yesterday.”

“Oh, right.”  He held out his hand in offer.  “Russ Agnew.”

“Well Russ Agnew,” Milt replied as he took his hand, “would you care to go grab a bite to eat when you’re free?  My treat.”

Russ allowed a short laugh to escape, surprised beyond belief.  “Yeah, yeah sure.  Anytime.”

He was going to make Holly pinch him later.

* * *

When they had traded numbers Russ hadn’t expected anything to come of it.  Yet the following afternoon there they were, out to lunch together.  Despite coming from two completely different worlds it turned out they had a lot in common and that they fit together really well. Russ supposed that’s how they ended up becoming such fast friends.

Over the next few months they talked regularly.  It became a habit to call Milt after a hard case, the perfect sounding board to vent his frustrations about sub par equipment or the bullshit politics.  Milt in turn confided his own worries, his struggles within the industry to balance his creative needs with the the things he had to do to keep his career running.  When Milt wanted a second opinion on a part, he called Russ.  When Russ just needed to think about anything other than work, he called Milt.

One evening, Russ dragged himself into his apartment, swiping a beer from the fridge and barely making it to the couch before collapsing on it face first.  Frankly he didn’t even know if he had the strength to open the beer at that point.  It had been one of those days- well, a series of days actually- but they’d finally closed the case and Russ was both mentally and physically exhausted.  He hadn’t even realized he was drifting off to sleep until his cell rang and jogged him back to consciousness.

He groaned as he shifted to fish it out of his pocket, swearing that it better not be another case or he was going to seriously consider telling the department to shove it.  Russ knew he was a damn good Detective but he needed to sleep just like everyone else and right now he was on his last reserve.  He flipped the phone open without looking at the screen, pressing it to his ear and rumbling out a gruff, “Hello?”

“Russ?”  It was Milt’s voice.  “You don’t sound so good.  You okay?”

“Mmm, yeah.  Just tired.”

“Oh, sorry.”  Milt sounded sheepish.  “I didn’t mean to wake you.  I suck at this time zone thing.”

Russ’ lips curled into the hint of a smile, managing to prop himself up onto his elbows.  “Yes you do, but it’s actually not that late here.  Just beat.”

“Well I can always call later if you wan-”

“Shut up Chamberlain.  Y’know I don’t mind.”  Russ _was_ smiling then and he could hear the grin in Milt’s voice too as he replied.

“In that case, I have something to ask you.  We’re going to start shooting _Pulsar_ in L.A. in a few weeks.  Was hoping to get you to come out for a bit and hang out on set.”

“For real?”  Russ didn’t even try to hide his excitement at the idea.  Milt had totally called him on his obsession with the movie within the first week of their acquaintance.

“Of course.”

Russ’ enthusiasm faltered a bit.  “But work…”

“Russ.  How much vacation time have you accrued?”

And Russ could only laugh because Milt knew damn well he hadn’t taken time off in the past eight years for anything other than hospitalization- which happened more times than Russ would like to admit, but that wasn’t the point.  “I’ll tell Guz in the morning,” he conceded.

Milt was horrible at hiding his own excitement at the prospect of seeing each other again.

* * *

When he arrived at the sound stage, the first thing Russ saw was the set of the _Wishbone_ , the starship Josh captained.  His first thought was that he wanted to go and hit every button but he quickly tramped down on such childish, whimsical thoughts and calmed himself.  Still, it was really cool to see and when he turned he could see more set pieces being constructed.

“At least _Wishbone_ was still together.”  Russ turned at the sound of Milt’s voice and smile.  “Gotta love the foresight of producers sometimes.”  He pulled Russ into a rough hug.  “Hey.  Glad you came.  Sorry I couldn’t meet you at the airport.”

“No problem man,” he assured, slapping his back a couple times before they parted.  It had been the original plan but Milt had been forced to send him a car when something or other came up.  Russ hadn’t been concerned as they had to have the pre-production done within the next couple of days to start shooting.

“Whadda you think?”  Milt’s smile was bright and contagious, appearing every bit like a kid on Christmas and that made all of Russ’ original fanboy feelings come back again.

“This is awesome,” he admitted.  “Can’t believe you brought me here man.”

“Well…”  Milt smirked as he walked backwards toward the _Wishbone_ ’s cockpit section.  “I still have one more surprise for you.”

“I have the feeling I should be worried.”

Milt only grinned.  It wasn’t comforting in the least.

* * *

It turned out that Milt’s “surprise” was a part in the series.  Russ just stared at him for a good five minutes, brain fizzling as he attempted to form words.  “Wha-?” was what eventually tumbled out and Russ felt the sudden urge to smack Milt right upside his head when that damnable cute smirk crossed his face.

“Well, we wanted to explain Josh’s connection to the Company so we wrote a new character.  And I wanted to give you the part.”

“Why?”  Milt shrugged but that smirk stayed firmly in place.  “I’m not an actor, in case you forgot.”

“You wouldn’t really have to act,” Milt admitted.  “Just be yourself.”  Russ raised a challenging brow.  “Y’know, a gruff pain in the ass.”

“Oh fuck you Chamberlain,” he barked, a smile threatening to cross his face.

Not about to take it personally, Milt laughed right along with him.  “Seriously though, it’s nothing big.  I promise.  Only a few scenes over some episodes.  Nothing too hard.”  His grin turned sly as he added, “It’ll be mostly action anyway, and given your day job I figure you can handle it.”

“Great, now you’re tryin’ to beat me up on my vacation too.  Thanks a lot,” Russ scoffed.  “Like I don’t get that enough at work already.”  As Milt’s laughter died down, Russ became serious.  “You really think I can do it?”  When Milt gave him a nod with an obvious vote of confidence, Russ inquired, “What would I have to do?”

To Milt that was as good as an agreement.

* * *

_Josh grunted in pain as he hit the unforgiving floor of the back alley lot, his shotgun skidding across the ground.  He rolled over onto his back, drawing and pointing his spare handgun in the process, but one of his attackers kicked it from his hand.  Josh was left with only a knife at his hip if he could get to it.  Whereas earlier defiance flared in his eyes, now the first glimpse of worry was shown._

_That was when a shot was fired from behind him, the bullet taking down the man hovering over him.  The blood spray from the perfect headshot was spectacular and in that moment time seemed to come back to itself.  The three other attackers went down just as swiftly._

_Breathing heavier, Josh looked over as his savior stepped beside him.  “Pussies,” the guy gruffed and before he could holster his sidearm there was a clear view of the tattoo on his forearm- a trio of stars in a pyramid formation- the symbol of the Company._

_The man looked down at Josh then with a familiar cocky smirk the Captain could never forget.  “What the hell did you ever do without me?”_

“ _Dean?”  There was disbelief written all over Josh’s face.  “How the hell-?”_

“ _You’re not that hard to find Joshy-boy,” Dean informed, offering his hand for a boost up.  “Better question is what you’re doing_ _**here** _ _.”_

_Josh huffed, shaking his head as he gathered up his firearms.  “Need weapons.”_

“ _So you come to the Company?”  Dean gave a sarcastic laugh.  “Spent too much time spacin’.  You’ve lost your damn mind.”_

“ _I didn’t come to the_ _**Company** _ _,” Josh retorted.  “I went to some_ _**agents** _ _of the Company.”_

“ _Same difference.”  Dean leveled him with a hard look.  “You knew they’d call us.”_

“ _Yeah well I was hoping to be gone before anyone showed up.”_

_There was another beat before Dean informed him, “You gotta bounty on yer head y’know.”_

_Josh froze in the adjustment of his thigh holster, looking up at Dean slowly.  The man wasn’t one to lie and he had nothing to gain by doing so to him now.  “Why?”_

“ _Really?”  Dean stepped up to him.  “You think you can blow half a Company facility off the map and they_ _**not** _ _find out it was you?  Oh sure that little decoy worked for a bit.  So did the hacking.  But eventually they pieced it together.  Once they knew you weren’t really dead, they had no problem putting a nice juicy bounty on you.”_

“ _I suppose you’re here to collect?”  Josh’s eyes were hard, like the line of his jaw as he prepared for another fight._

“ _Fuck you!” Dean spat instead, shoving him away.  “You think so fucking little of me?!  For fuck’s sake… You didn’t even tell me you were alive you jackass!”_

_Josh at least managed to look regretful at that.  He frowned, shaking his head.  “I’m sorry Dean.”  It was all he could offer and he knew it would never be enough.  “I should get outta here.”_

“ _That’s it?” Dean called after him._

_Josh gazed at him over his shoulder, a long, slow look from head to toe as though savoring the sight of him.  “Sorry,” he repeated before walking away, leaving Dean standing there amidst the corpses._

* * *

Russ had made his appearance in what was to be the second episode.  It was only a six episode season, the producers wanting to feel out the market before dedicating more funds to the project.  Such was the way of television those days so it wasn’t anything unusual.

The story arch had started in the aftermath of the movie events, the _Wishbone_ limping into the nearest port.  They needed repairs.  Moreso they required more guns on-board and the _Wishbone_ needed outfitted with better armaments.  That was what led to Josh making the daring decision to go to the very people who supplied the Company, the mercs who had come after their cargo in the movie and nearly destroyed them in the first place.

Dean.  That was the man he was playing.  Also known as Mayhem, Dean was the one who had gotten Josh involved in the Company to begin with.  Their relationship was that of very close friends, brothers, and eventually something more.

When Milt had let him in on _that_ little bit of information, Russ wasn’t sure what to say.  “Is that…?”  Milt cleared his throat.  “Would that make you uncomfortable?”

“What?  No, no…” Russ was quick to assure.  “No, just, uh, wasn’t expecting that I guess.”

Milt smiled a little then.  “Well, hopefully no one else will either.”

* * *

_When next Josh found himself surrounded and outnumbered- this time by a group of pirates- his guardian angel appeared again.  A high-powered rifle echoed off of the vaulted ceilings and cracked walls of the mega structure that made up this particular slum.  People dropped one after the other, creating an opening for escape._

_Josh kept running, the noise of the battle fading away.  There was a shadow running across a rooftop parallel to him, dropping down into a side alleyway to cut him off.  “Miss me?” Dean inquired, a cocky smirk on his face._

_Josh took a swing straight for his jaw, Dean blocking, grabbing Josh’s wrist and twisting his arm behind his back.  He shoved Josh straight towards the wall but the larger man continued the momentum, stepping to the side and pulling so it was Dean that was slammed into the wall.  The older man cursed, holding his face._

“ _Some thanks I get!” he snapped, glowering at Josh as he pulled his hand away.  His nose was bleeding but Dean simply ran the back of his hand under it, smearing blood away._

“ _I didn’t ask for your help!” Josh growled._

_Dean huffed, holding onto his nose as he threw back, “I forgot how much of a fucking martyr you are.”_

“ _Fuck off.”  Josh spun on his heel to leave, only to be taken off guard when Dean snagged his arm again.  This time he succeeded in putting Josh into the wall, broken pieces of concrete digging into his back._

“ _Don’t you dare!” Dean snarled, hand fisted in Josh’s shirt.  “Don’t you run on me…  Not again.”  The last bit was said as a plea, his voice breaking._

_Before Josh could reply, Dean smashed their lips together in a biting kiss.  Josh pressed back, hands yanking roughly on Dean’s hips to pull him closer.  At the same time, Dean was holding onto Josh’s face, kissing him desperately._

_Josh’s hand came up, falling onto the side of Dean’s neck as he pulled back enough to breathe.  “Damnit,” he cursed quietly, “I left to protect you.”_

“ _Fuck that,” Dean shot back, the normal heat all gone from his voice as his chest rose and fell heavily.  “I don’t need your damn protection.”  He once more cut Josh off, teeth catching his lower lip and taking advantage of the little gasp Josh gave in order to swipe his tongue inside before locking their mouths together once more._

 _It was the beep of Josh’s comm that broke them apart.  He frowned as he held his arm up, the wrist device flashing.  It was from the_ Wishbone.   “ _I have to go.”_

“ _Josh-”_

“ _I have to get back to my crew,” he insisted._

“ _I’ll come with you.”  Dean’s fingers dug into Josh’s arms._

_Josh’s smile was filled with sorrow.  “Too dangerous right now.”_

“ _Which is all the more reason I should come.”_

“ _I can’t get you mixed up in this.”_

“ _Damnit Josh!”  He made a grab for him as he pulled away and missed.  It was all Josh needed to get away.  Dean was mostly in shadow but there was the glint from some tears that twisted down his cheek._

* * *

Russ wasn’t involved in episode four so that meant he had plenty of time off to observe how things were progressing- in between practicing for his big upcoming fight sequence that was.  Currently he was watching the scene play out on the _Wishbone_.  Josh was talking to Nalia, the ship’s pilot, about he and Dean’s past.  The way Milt spoke, it pulled him in, entrancing him.

The pair had been lovers and some of the best damn mercs the Company had.  But then Josh had found out about one of their facilities, the one that was used for the slave trade.  He had lost it, had wanted Dean to help him destroy it but he refused.  They had a good life with the Company.

Ignoring Dean’s suggestion they turn the information over to the authorities- honestly what were they going to do when they were being paid off?- Josh went alone.  He freed the kidnapped people and proceeded to blow the facility off the map.  Then he disappeared.  Just like that.

“ _Why the hell didn’t you go back for him?” Nalia demanded.  “Tell him you were okay.”_

_Josh stood, shaking his head.  “I loved him too much,” was all he could answer before turning to walk away._

After that the scene was called and shooting was wrapped for lunch.  Milt smiled when he saw Russ standing there, walking straight over to him.  “Hey.  What’d you think?”

“Great.”  Russ cleared his throat, trying again.  “It was good, yeah.”

Milt gave him a lopsided grin.  “Wanna head off to grab some food?  I don’t have any more scenes until the end of the day.”  Russ raised a shoulder in indifference.  He was rather tired of the food they got at the soundstage anyway.  Not that it was bad, but perhaps that was the problem.  He needed some greasy pizza or bad Chinese about now.

One of the studio cars took them downtown where they ended up at a hole-in-the-wall joint.  Once they’d ordered and had beers delivered Russ somehow found himself asking, “So you think he was right?”

“Who?”

“Josh…  Think he was right when he said he loved Dean too much?  That really why he did it?”

Milt hummed, looking thoughtfully down at his bottle.  “I think,” he answered after a moment, “that he felt he was protecting Dean.  Just like he said in that alley.”

“Yeah but Dean wouldn’t let him do all that alone if he knew.”

“Which is exactly why Josh would have kept him in the dark.  He wanted Dean to stay safe.  Even if that meant going on without him.”  Milt forced a sad smile as he looked up at Russ.  “Pretty selfless if you ask me.”

“Or selfish if you’re on the other end,” Russ corrected with the tip of his bottle neck before taking a swig.  “I can see why Dean was pissed.  I mean the guy you love just ups and vanishes one night.  And then you have to find out he’s dead?  But then he isn’t really.”  He huffed, smirking at Milt as he added almost challengingly, “I wouldda kicked your ass the second I saw you.”

Milt laughed at that.  “Yeah, well I would have deserved it.”  He sobered a bit then, seeming to be off in his own thoughts.

It had been like that since they had the kissing scene earlier that week.  Their easy camaraderie had seemingly faltered.  Russ knew he couldn’t have been imagining how things had become somewhat awkward between them.  Surely Milt was used to kissing people as part of his job, so why did it seem to bother him?  Or was Russ simply reading into things and only _he_ was the one making things weird?

“So what-?”

“You think-?”

They stopped as they ended up talking over each other, lips curling up in amusement.  “You first,” Milt offered.

“I was just…”  Russ rubbed the back of his neck as the waitress came over with their food, which included a burger for him.  Once she left he looked over at Milt and took a deep breath before letting it out in a sigh.  “Was thinkin’ that maybe Dean and I aren’t too different.”

“How so?” Milt asked, poking his fork into his salad.  Russ didn’t care if the thing had steak on it, it was still an abomination to bar food.

“You mean other than being charming?”  Milt barked out a laugh and Russ’ expression warmed at being able to make him happy.  It was that moment that sealed his feelings, the ones that had snuck up on him somewhere along the way of this unexpected friendship.  “Maybe it’s the part about falling in love with idealists.”

Milt froze, looking back at him.  However his expression gave nothing away and Russ’ face fell.  Thinking he had read everything wrong, Russ started to apologize when Milt smiled and replied, “I love you too Russ.”

Russ turned into a sputtering mess, his spazzing cut short when Milt leaned across the table and kissed him.  It was brief, testing, and Russ’ eyes danced from Milt’s lips up to his gorgeous dark eyes.  A smile crossed his face and then he was kissing back.  Unlike their previous liplock there was no rush, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t heat.  Rather it was a slow simmer instead of a mind-blowing explosion.

Alright, so perhaps there was a bit of mind-altering on Russ’ end.  He figured he could be allowed given just who he was currently kissing.  “So,” Russ murmured against his lips, “you said you don’t have to be on set until later, right?”  He felt Milt’s smile against his mouth, receiving another kiss in answer.

* * *

_This time it was Josh that found Dean.  His former lover had gotten himself into trouble with the Company.  Somehow they had found out about what he’d been doing, putting their own guys down in order to protect Josh._

_Dean gave him a lopsided grin, blood trickling from his mouth and various other cuts all over his body.  Most looked superficial, save the stab wound in Dean’s thigh.  “Getting sloppy,” Josh commented, ripping a piece of his shirt in order to tie off the wound as best he could- it would have to do until they got back to the ship.  “Up you go.”_

_He hauled Dean to his feet, his arm placed around Josh’s shoulder so he could lean on him.  “Getting soft,” the merc retorted, hissing at the end as his leg burned.  “Thought you wouldn’t come back.”_

_Josh’s face softened in emotion.  “I’ll always come for you.”_

_Dean’s smile was a little bit dopey, no doubt a product of blood loss.  “Like I said… getting soft.”_

_As they hobbled their way towards the docking bay they heard reinforcements coming.  “Fuck,” Dean hissed.  “Go, I’ll hold them off.”_

“ _What?!  You can’t!”_

“ _And I can’t run!” Dean snapped back.  “Now go!”  The mercs appeared, laying down fire that caused Josh to dive for cover, pulling Dean with him.  “Damnit Josh!  Go!”_

“ _I’m not leaving you!”  Dean was sitting against the wall, legs splayed as Josh rested between them on one knee._

_He gave a bitter laugh then, shaking his head.  “Little late to change your mind, ain’t it?”_

“ _Oh for fuck’s sake Dean!” Josh snapped in return, ducking away as concrete sprayed out from the corner where a couple bullets impacted._

 _When he looked back at Dean, he saw in his eyes that he had grown serious.  “You can get backup.  If we try to go together then we’re_ _**dead** _ _.”_

_Josh knew the logic of course, but then he also knew Dean.  “Please don’t do anything stupid,” he pleaded, cupping Dean’s face._

“ _No promises,” he smirked.  When Josh made a face that said he was about to argue, Dean quickly assured, “I’ll be safe.”_

_Nodding, Josh muttered “Good” before pressing their lips together.  It was hard and filled with passion, pouring every feeling he had into it in a desperate attempt of telling Dean everything he could never say with words._

_The moment Josh pulled away he grabbed up his shotgun and made a run for the door that would take him to the docking bay.  He hesitated, looking back at Dean.  The merc was leaning around the corner, firing off a few rounds.  “That all you got assholes!?”_

_Dean took cover then, laughing at himself as more bullets pinged nearby on the wall and floor.  They would start to flank soon and Josh had no time to be wasting there.  Before he could continue though, Dean pulled something from his vest and looked up at the doorway._

_Seeing Josh there he gave him a crooked smile.  “I love you,” he called out, making Josh hold his breath._

_As though in slow motion, he noted Dean flick open the thing in his hand and his eyes went to it.  They widened as he realized it was a detonator.  “Dean!  No!”_

_But the devices blew, obviously previously set up by Dean, and they exploded all around the courtyard in a chain, collapsing walls and entrances.  Josh barely had enough time to dodge back away as the doorway he was still hovering in was next._

_He coughed on the dust and debris in the air, there on all fours.  When he looked up, the doorway was completely blocked.  “DEAN!”_

* * *

Everyone had gathered in the living room for the season premiere and each episode thereafter.  Holly and Jacocks were tossing popcorn back and forth at each other as they tried to catch them in their mouths.  Font argued the physics of warp drive with Niblet, while Font's wife Katrina and Shaylene were talking Funkhauser’s ear off about the upcoming wedding.

Meanwhile Milt was in the kitchen grabbing a refill on snacks and drinks.  Russ was supposed to be helping but he was doing more _eating_ of said snacks than anything else.  Guz just shook her head at them when Milt stole the bowl of chips right out from under Russ’ hand as he went to grab more.

“So have they decided to renew the show?” Guz inquired.  It was the next to the last episode that evening and the last one Russ’ character was in- not that his co-workers and friends had any clue what was coming. Despite that, the writers had done a good job of leaving Dean's fate open, allowing his character to return at a later time should they want to go that route.

“The numbers look good,” Milt replied.  “I’m hoping to hear from them soon so I know whether I can take this other project or not.”

“Milt got offered a role in the Transformer movie,” Russ informed, snatching the chip bowl back as he passed by to head back to their guests.

“That’s great,” Guz mentioned, helping with the drinks.

“Yeah but they might want to film at the same time and I’d much rather see more of _Pulsar_ get made.”  It had become a pet project to him.  He didn’t care that this movie deal would net him more money and exposure than a sci-fi series would, Milt would always be far more attached to _Pulsar_ than that.

The conversation lulled as the show came back on.  Russ was sitting in his oversized recliner and Milt slid over the arm and in behind him.  His arms wrapped around Russ, pulling him back to nestle in his embrace.  Milt had a private smile on his face as he pressed a kiss to the back of his lover’s neck before hooking his chin over his shoulder.

At the moment, Milt wasn’t paying much attention to the show.  Rather he was looking around at the gathering in the living room- _their_ living room.  He had been going back and forth between Battle Creek and his home in Malibu for months when finally Russ told him just to move in already.  Instead, the pair had shopped around and found a small house to call their own.  It was exactly what Milt had always wanted, and Russ too now that he could admit such a thing.

Milt would continue to travel and Russ would still be busy with his work at the BCPD.  For once all the hard work seemed to be worth it though, because they had each other to come home to.

/End

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Imagine Person A being an actor/actress at a little known show signing autographs at a con, and Person B is has been standing in line for 15 minutes for a friend who weren’t able to show up. But when they get to the table and hold out the DVD their friend want autographed, they begin to stutter because “Oh no, they’re cute/hot!”
> 
> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://thedenofcaseywolfe.tumblr.com/).


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